ARIZONA PBS REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
Dear friends,
As one of the last local, independent voices in our media landscape, we exist to tell the stories of Arizona. Our communities rely on us for news and public affairs coverage, high-quality children’s content, arts programming and much more. We know our audience well, and we take great care and great pride in serving you. We’re proud to be one of the most highly watched and highly rated stations in the public television system.
One of our highlights in 2017-18 was being recognized for our Educational Outreach work by the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Academy of Television Sciences, which honored Arizona PBS with the prestigious Governors’ Award. Our Outreach work is a core part of our mission, both on-air and in communities across the state, and we were thrilled to see it recognized.
Our Educational Outreach team spans the entire state of Arizona and impacts children of all backgrounds. We help educators improve their skills and make effective use of PBS KIDS materials. We help prepare preschoolers for kindergarten through educator workshops and camps. And we work with dozens of community-based organizations to further our goal of improving life for Arizona’s children. While our Educational Outreach team is busy across the state, we also air safe, educational children’s programming on both our main channel and 24/7 on Arizona PBS KIDS.
From education to news to arts and beyond, we are constantly looking for ways to serve our communities in a significant and meaningful way. With the continued support of our Arizona community, we will continue to tell important and compelling stories about who we are, where we’ve been and where we’re headed – together.
Mary Mazur General Manager, Arizona PBS
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OVERVIEW
LOCAL VALUE Arizona PBS is a valuable contributor to Arizona’s quality of life. Available free to everyone, Arizona PBS is a trusted source of in-depth news and civil dialogue at a time when Arizona needs it most. Arizona PBS is a catalyst for educating children, bridging academic achievement gaps through work with partners, parents and educators. We also specialize in lifelong learning and celebrate our state’s diverse arts and cultures. We connect daily with Arizonans through noncommercial television, the internet, social media, educational outreach and other community initiatives.
LOCAL IMPACT Arizona PBS’ local services deeply impact Arizonans. Arizona PBS’ signal reaches 80 percent of Arizona homes. With more than half a million viewers weekly, Arizona PBS consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the United States. During fiscal year 2018, our website azpbs.org received more than 1.8 million page views. Arizona PBS hosted more than 4,395 workshops and other community events, reaching more than 76,496 Arizonans, not counting nearly 10,000 children and family members who attended the second Arizona PBS KIDS Day in February 2018. Arizona PBS Educational Outreach was awarded the highest honor, the Governor’s Award, from the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Academy of Television Sciences in Fall 2017.
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2018 KEY SERVICES In fiscal year 2018, which spans July 2017 – June 2018, Arizona PBS provided these local programs and services:
Educational outreach, both on-air and in the community: Locally produced programming: Workshops & teacher training: Arizona Collectibles Educational workshops reaching nearly 200,000 children Arizona Horizon annually Arizona Poetry Out Loud Piloting new workshop content in collaboration with PBS Arizona Spelling Bee Teacher training and professional development workshops Arizona Teacher of the Year reaching 73,000 teaching professionals each year ArtBeat Nation Parent and care provider workshops reaching 4,395 annually ASU Academic Bowl PBS KIDS Growing Up Well workshop series Books & Co. Arizona Early Childhood Registry & First Things First Catalyst: Shaping the Future college scholarships Central Sound concert partnerships Digital learning tools: Check, Please! Arizona Arizona PBS KIDS 24/7 channel Clean Elections debates Mobile apps and games for over 60% of Arizona families Cronkite News who cannot afford or do not have access to preschool or Free Speech: Challenge of Our Times Head Start early education Horizonte Free digital resources aligned to state/national standards utilized by 36,000 PreK-12 teachers across the state A Moment in Time interstitials PBS LearningMedia professional development Plate & Pour Bright by Text parent tips, child development information and family events messaging Family events: Community events: Arizona PBS KIDS Day at City of Phoenix Civic Space Park “American Creed” screenings Arizona PBS KIDS Writers’ Workshop & statewide contest “Dolores” screening PBS KIDS Super Why Kindergarten Readiness Camps “The Great American Read” events Ready to Learn Phase I: Community Collaborative “The Vietnam War” screenings Planning
COMMUNITY PARTNERS Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children City of Chandler Arizona Association for Supportive Child Care (ASCC) City of Phoenix Arizona Coalition for Military Families City of Phoenix Birth to Five Arizona Commission on the Arts City of Phoenix Latino Institute Arizona Department of Economic Security City of Phoenix Parks & Recreation Arizona Department of Health Services Easter Seals Blake Foundation Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services First Things First (statewide) Arizona Early Childhood Alliance (AZECA) First Things First Yuma Regional Partnership Council formerly BUILD Arizona Maricopa County Community College System Arizona Educational Foundation Read On Arizona Arizona Governor’s Office on Education Read On Phoenix Arizona State Libraries Read On Yuma Arizona Technology Council Southwest Human Development Chavez Youth and Community Foundation Western Regional Council of Child and Family Resources Governments Head Start 4 ARIZONA PBS REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
INTRODUCTION
For 57 years, Arizona PBS (KAET – Phoenix) has been a trusted community resource. We have made it our mission to be the standard-bearer for transmedia storytelling in public media, reaching new audiences in the quest to serve lifelong learners across Arizona and beyond.
The communities we serve support us in turn: more than 61,000 viewers choose to be contributing Friends of Arizona PBS each year, and roughly 80 percent of our revenue comes from the local community, mainly through membership support and program underwriting. We value these close ties with the Arizona community, and we make it our business to provide educational outreach services, unbiased news and public affairs, and programming and events that celebrate science, culture and the arts.
Nationally, PBS is the most trusted media in America and is considered the best use of federal tax dollars, second only to military defense. At the state level, Arizona PBS is one of the last locally-owned media organizations in Arizona. Because Arizona PBS is all about community service – not profit making – we are an independent news source that is free from commercial influence.
Each week, more than 800,000 Arizonans tune in to our programming, making Arizona PBS both Arizona’s largest performing arts venue and its largest history museum. Approximately 80 percent of Arizona households can watch our quality programming on multiple digital TV channels. In a market where over 42 percent of households do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV, Arizona PBS provides a free, over-the-air option for quality programming for all ages.
PBS is also the foremost media educator of children. Two of Arizona PBS’ four digital channels provide curriculum-based programming for families: 10 hours every weekday on our main channel and 24/7 on digital channel 8.4, Arizona PBS KIDS. Combined with online options for viewing (including mobile apps), we provide parents with more avenues to access trusted content that features favorite PBS characters. Our Educational Outreach team reaches even further than our television signal. Arizona PBS conducts educational outreach services and community-based initiatives across all of Arizona.
In the following pages, we invite you to explore the value and impact of Arizona PBS through our work in education, our coverage of news and public affairs and our support for lifelong learning.
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ARIZONA PBS BY THE NUMBERS
Arizona PBS began broadcasting on January 30, 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona, now the 12th-largest TV market. In our over 55 years on-air, Arizona PBS has been a trusted community resource.
Arizona PBS’ quality programming reaches approximately 80% of Arizona households on four digital television channels: Arizona PBS (8.1/Cox 1008), Life (8.2/Cox 80), World (8.3/Cox 88) and Arizona PBS KIDS (8.4/Cox 81). Full details of our channel offerings are available at azpbs.org/schedule.
PBS is the #1 trusted media in America and, after the country’s military defense, is considered the best value for federal tax dollars for the 16th consecutive year (Marketing & Research Resources Inc., January 2019). Arizona PBS typically ranks among the top 10 most-watched PBS stations.
Each week, more than 800,000 Arizonans tune in to Arizona PBS:
What is the Phoenix (Prescott) DMA (Designated Market Area)? (January 2019 Nielsen estimates):
• 1,919,930 total television households • 29.5% of TV households in the market have cable • 28.2% of TV households in the market have satellite • 42.3% of TV households in the market receive TV signals over the air
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Arizona PBS has over 60,000 members (annual contributors).
Arizona PBS is embedded in the community with services provided by over600 Arizonans who have volunteered their time, talent and expertise. These Volunteer Friends of Arizona PBS act as an extension of Arizona PBS’ relatively small staff to invest in our community through volunteering, supporting and fundraising. In fiscal year 2018, they contributed more than 4,410 hours last year in support of Arizona PBS.
Arizona PBS’ 14-member Community Advisory Board provides public input for the station’s planning and decision-making process. Members meet quarterly to evaluate Arizona PBS’ progress and conduct an annual assessment of our programming and services.
Arizona PBS has won 112 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards, as well as numerous Telly Awards, Cine Gold Eagle Awards, New York Festivals awards and Associated Press Broadcasters Association Awards. At the 2017 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards, Arizona PBS won a total of five Emmys, including the prestigious Governors’ Award for our outreach work in education.
Arizona PBS’ website (azpbs.org) averages more than 152,000 page views each month, with thousands downloading information from the site and viewing our video content. The top six pages viewed are TV Schedule, Home, “Check, Please! Arizona,” Support Arizona PBS, “Arizona Horizon” and Sign up for Arizona PBS Passport.
Since its inception in April 2012, Capture My Arizona (capturemyarizona.com), Arizona PBS’ online photography community, has received more than 14.6 million page views and more than 168,479 photo submissions.
Our Facebook pages have a total following of 31,000 fans, with 12,500 followers on our Arizona PBS page and 15,800 on our Cronkite News page. Our Arizona PBS page’s weekly total reach is 68,000 and the page’s engagement is about 3,000.
Our Twitter profile has nearly 18,000 followers—more than doubling our growth compared to last year. Over a 28-day period, our Twitter page receives 2,500 profile visits, 142,000 impressions and about 400 mentions.
Arizona PBS magazine, the station’s quarterly publication highlighting programming, events and station news, is sent to more than 48,000 Arizona households who donate $40 or more annually.
Central Sound at Arizona PBS continues its tradition of capturing classical and acoustic music performances of the highest professional caliber. Now recording an average of 120 performances each year, Central Sound produces an average of 75 new programs annually for broadcast on the airwaves of KBAQ-FM, Classical Arizona PBS (DTV 8.5), the Classical Arizona PBS mobile app and other national and international venues.
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HOW WE ARE FUNDED
Our annual budget is approximately $20.2 million. Over 90% comes from the local community, mainly through membership support, program underwriting, Arizona State University and other sources. The remainder comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
REVENUE FY18 ACTUAL EXPENSES FY18 ACTUAL
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Programming, Production, $2,049,483 $12,141,518 grants Broadcasting
Arizona State University support $4,380,192 Fundraising $2,830,669
Grants, contracts and other gifts $7,207,548 Public Information $667,205 (nonoperating)
Friends of PBS $3,329,097 Administrative $2,244,825
Signal Society $3,773,923 University Administrative Support $2,377,422
Underwriting $1,231,997 Total expenses $20,261,641
Total revenue $21,972,241
FY '18 REVENUE FY '18 ARIZONA PBS DIRECT EXPENSES DIRECTLY SUPPORTING ARIZONA PBS Total Direct Support $21,972,241 Total Direct Expenses $20,261,641
Administrative Program Underwriting Public Information CPB Grants, Contracts, University 3% 6% Administrative & other Gifts Support 9% 11% 33% 12% Arizona Programming, 20% State 60% Production, & Broadcasting 14%
32% Fundraising
Individual Donors
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EDUCATION
Arizona PBS is at the forefront of educating children in our state. Our daily programming helps children start school prepared. Arizona PBS devotes more than 10 hours each weekday to high-quality educational programming for children on our main channel and 24 hours a day on digital channel 8.4, Arizona PBS KIDS. An average of 130,000 Arizona children watch these programs on-air each day. Our viewers appreciate that Arizona PBS offers programming that is safe to watch with children, without obscene language, images and commercial messages for adult consumers.
Arizona PBS KIDS, our 24/7 kids channel, continued to build on its momentous launch in January 2017. It features an array of programming designed to help young children master important skills, ranging from reading and basic math and science to problem solving and emotional skills. Locally produced and Emmy Award-winning interstitials hosted by first grade teacher, “Miss K,” offered quick lessons on alphabet and letter sounds as well as more practical skills like learning to tie shoelaces.
In October 2017, Arizona PBS Educational Outreach was honored with the Governors’ Award, the highest honor given by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This award, recognized our public service efforts in supporting educators and students in the classroom and families at home with PBS educational content focused on national, common core and state standards.
The Educational Outreach team consists of bilingual and master’s level classroom certified experts in early childhood development and PreK-12 education. Most importantly, the team members are based in communities that span the entire state, giving Arizona PBS boots- on-the ground capacity across all of Arizona. The team’s primary mission is to extend the impact of Arizona PBS’s 24-hour kid’s channel and all of its educational, and family-friendly programming. The department fulfills its mission with three distinct types of activities: in-person workshops and teacher trainings, creation and distribution of digital learning tools, and the design and support of station community events.
WORKSHOPS & TEACHER TRAINING Seven early childhood specialists, based in various Arizona communities, conducted face-to-face workshops and presentations, and participated in local education and regional events across the state. Their activities ranged from Diné College in the heart of the Navajo Reservation to the U.S./Mexico border communities of San Luis, Sierra Vista, and Wellton. These specialists help educators across Arizona to utilize PBS materials and take advantage of opportunities like the First Things First scholarships.
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Arizona PBS’ work in education extends far beyond central Phoenix. Our Educational Outreach team takes the initiative to make connections across Arizona to support educators, caregivers and children. The team connect early childhood educators, school communities, and rural local libraries to local resources as well as evidence-based PBS resources for students of all ages.
Our team continues to provide on-site professional development to teachers across the state from Naco to Havasupai, Kingman to Whiteriver, leading the nation with almost 36,000 educators using PBS LearningMedia digital service (more below) and over 46,000 participants in the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry. Overall, Arizona PBS has facilitated 4,395 face to face workshops on early childhood and K-12 professional development for more than 73,000 educators and university faculty.
Arizona PBS’ Ready To Learn (RTL) program, including early literacy workshops, uses our PBS KIDS content to improve the school readiness of young children statewide through camps, community discussions, and projects developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education. Arizona PBS was selected to create community collaborative work with RTL resources in development in the 85006 zip code, funded as a Phase I RTL 2015-2020 station. On a larger scale, Arizona’s pre-K-12 students also benefit from outreach programs and educator professional development shared by the Arizona PBS Educational Outreach team.
PBS KIDS Super Why Kindergarten Readiness Camps held in partnership with the City of Chandler helped children who had not had the opportunity to attend preschool or Head Start get ready for kindergarten. Arizona PBS’ kindergarten readiness efforts served thousands of educators and family care providers, including Spanish speakers, throughout the state.
Arizona PBS annually hosts the largest early childhood professional development conference in rural Arizona at Arizona Western College in Yuma, and works with over 28 colleges and universities statewide. We also provided early literacy workshops for families in partnership with community libraries and schools in Yuma, as well as North End Community Hub kindergarten readiness event for families with children birth to age five in high need, bilingual, rural Yuma neighborhoods.
Arizona PBS is the only PBS station in the U.S. to administer a registry and college scholarship program for early childhood educators. From July 2017 to June 2018, 513 applicants were approved for scholarships funded by First Things First to pursue AA, BA and MA degrees in early education. These resources are used to pay for community college and university coursework, books and fees at 28 institutions of higher education throughout the state.
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DIGITAL LEARNING TOOLS Arizona PBS provides essential digital resources, such as mobile apps and games, to the over 60 percent of Arizona families who cannot afford or do not have access to preschool or Head Start early education. We also coordinate the use of free digital resources aligned to state/national standards utilized by 36,000 PreK-12 teachers across the state
Our Educational Outreach team contributes Arizona PBS-branded content to the national PBS LearningMedia platform for use in classrooms across the country. LearningMedia provides teachers with instant access to over 125,000 classroom-ready, digital resources. This robust digital library is searchable by state, national standards, grades and key words, providing high-quality content produced by more than more than 90 educational producers and station partners for PreK-16 educators. Through a grant from WGBH, Arizona PBS produced an interactive science lesson for middle school students on water conservation and dam systems in the southwest.
More than 36,000 Arizona educators (out of 75,000 statewide) have created personalized free accounts. Arizona PBS provides teacher training in support of Arizona PBS LearningMedia throughout the entire state, in partnership with KUAT in Tucson. Learn more at az.pbslearningmedia.org.
Arizona PBS is also the sole distributor in Arizona of Bright by Text, a parenting resource that provides tips and information delivered via text message. The services is utilized by 5,000 parents and care providers across the state. Each message is targeted to the child’s age, and the program can also deliver localized messages based on ZIP code, and delivered in English or Spanish. In Arizona, organizational partners include Read On Arizona, First Things First, Southwest Human Development, the Association for Supportive Child Care, City of Phoenix Birth to Five and some local library systems. Parents and caregivers across Arizona can sign up for the free service at azpbs.org/kidstext or by texting ARIZONAPBS to 274448.
COMMUNITY EVENTS In February 2018, thousands of families joined Arizona PBS at Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix for the second Arizona PBS KIDS Day. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and many other local officials took part in the festivities, and both Stanton and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued official proclamations declaring the day to be Arizona PBS KIDS Day. Ruben Gallego, U.S. House of Representative of Arizona’s 7th District also declared the event date in a Congressional Resolution.
With nearly 10,000 parents and children in attendance, the Educational Outreach team created a day of fun designed to engage the community with creative, educational STEM, literacy and wellness activities. Children and their families enjoyed a variety of crafts and activities, listened to stories and songs, met trainee firefighters and participated in a bike rodeo. Attendees also had an opportunity to meet PBS KIDS characters including Daniel Tiger, Peg + Cat, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Word Girl, Curious George and more, and were serenaded by the Phoenix Girls Chorus and Phoenix Children’s Chorus.
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Arizona PBS is one of 14 Ready to Learn stations nationwide participating in “Community Collaboratives for Early Learning & Media,” that is funded by CPB and U.S. Department of Education. This work focuses on science and literacy resources, workshops, camps, and family learning to help prepare children ages 2–8.
PBS content, materials based on PBS resources and PBS KIDS character appearances by Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kitty Cat, Super Why and Wonder Red, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Nature Cat, Maya and Miguel provided the basis for local learning celebrations across the state. These characters visited with nearly 50,000 Arizonans from July 2017 to June 2018.
PBS KIDS, Ranch Market, City of Phoenix Parks & Recreation and the Latino Institute celebrated the annual El Dia de Los Niños festival with over 2,500 in attendance and recognized the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners (and their families) of the Arizona PBS KIDS Writers’ Contest in grades K-3.
PARTNERSHIPS National PBS sought the on-ground community implementation support of Arizona PBS’ educational outreach to review curriculum and pilot a new Family Community Learning series, “Growing Up Well: Social, Emotional and Character Development. A total of nine workshops will complete the series when the pilot concludes in 2019. Each workshop includes PBS KIDS apps and children’s books for families to begin or add to their home libraries.
Arizona PBS’ key partners in its educational outreach efforts during this time included First Things First Statewide and Yuma Regional Partnership Council (azearlychildhood.org, azpbs.org/workshops and azpbs.org/yumapd), Arizona Department of Health Services, Department of Economic Security and Governor’s Office of Education, Read On Arizona and local Read On communities including Phoenix and Yuma (readonarizona.org), City of Mesa Office of Diversity for Independent Lens and City of Chandler Public Library for community screenings, Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children and Association for Supportive Child Care(azpbs.org/educate), City of Phoenix After School Programs/Birth to Five and Head Start programs across the state including Catholic Charities, Chicanos Por La Causa, Northern Arizona and Western Region of Governments (NACOG, WACOG) and ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Consortium (azpbs.org/strongkids).
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NEWS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
As one of the few locally-owned independent news sources in the state, Arizona PBS provides deeply-considered, balanced coverage of stories that affect Arizonans.
Arizona PBS serves as a trusted, independent catalyst for community involvement. Serving 80 percent of Arizonans, Arizona PBS is one of the last local broadcast stations in the communities it serves that is locally owned with a community service mission.
Arizona PBS was honored to a special award from Arizona Town Hall at their 2017 annual meeting. Our two organizations have worked together for decades to make our state a better place by informing and empowering Arizonans through education and engagement. By choosing to celebrate independent public media, Arizona Town Hall recognized that the communities in our state benefit from Arizona PBS’ in-depth coverage of local issues.
“Arizona Horizon” has been Arizona PBS’ Emmy Award-winning nightly public affairs program for more than 35 years. The program was recognized as Arizona Capitol Times’ 2011 Leader of the Year in Public Policy. In addition to multiple Emmy Awards, host Ted Simons was voted “Best TV Host in Phoenix” in 2014 and again in 2017 by Phoenix New Times readers. At the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmy Awards in October 2017, Simons was inducted into the Silver Circle Society, an honor reserved for media veterans who have shown exemplary service in the industry for more than 25 years.
During the 2017-18 fiscal year, “Arizona Horizon” covered a variety of key public policy issues including immigration, healthcare and a regular segment on foreign affairs with former NATO Ambassador Kurt Volker. Toward the end of this period, “Arizona Horizon” began a series of Clean Elections debates for candidates running in the 2018 primaries.
“Arizona Horizon” also continued to produce “In Focus” specials that highlight notable members of our community, including former White House physician Connie Mariano, James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco and Local First Arizona founder Kimber Lanning.
The “Arizona Horizon” team also produced a documentary on Arizona Vietnam vets that aired concurrently with the Ken Burns series “The Vietnam War.” “Vietnam: Arizona Stories,” a 30-minute documentary that looked at the role Arizona Hispanics, Native Americans and women played in the Vietnam War, premiered Sept. 17, 2017.
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“Horizonte,” a weekly public affairs program examining Arizona issues through a Hispanic lens, featured a wide variety of guests and topics from politics to culture, including DACA-related stories, Donald Trump’s visit to Arizona and a one-on-one interview with civil rights leader Dolores Huerta. Now in its 16th year, the show continues to be hosted by José Cárdenas, a recognized Latino leader in the state.
“Cronkite News” is the foundation of the “teaching hospital” model practiced by Arizona PBS and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Serving as the news division of Arizona PBS with 15 full-time editor/professors and more than 120 students, “Cronkite News” produces daily news content on TV and digital platforms for Arizona audiences. These immersive professional programs provide intensive learning environments for students, the ability for Arizona PBS to experiment and innovate and an important service to the community: providing critically needed, in-depth journalistic content to viewers and readers.
The daily “Cronkite News” broadcast reports on Arizona stories from the Grand Canyon to the U.S.-Mexico border as well as Arizona-related news from Washington, D.C. Arizona PBS is the only Arizona-based news organization to have a bureau operating in the nation’s capital.
Late in 2017, Arizona PBS established “Elemental,” a multimedia collaboration focused on sustainability, in partnership with KJZZ radio in Phoenix, PBS SoCal and KPCC Southern California Public Radio in Los Angeles and Denver’s Rocky Mountain PBS, which includes five TV stations and KUVO radio. Stories focusing on issues involving water, renewable energy, climate change and urbanization are published at elementalreports.com.
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OTHER LOCAL PROGRAMS
In addition to airing programs distributed nationally by PBS, Arizona PBS produces award-winning shows for the community, including the news and public affairs programs described above. Across the board, Arizona PBS’ local productions feature a wide array of topics and guests that encourage viewership and participation from underserved communities throughout Arizona.
SUMMER READING PBS introduced “The Great American Read” in May 2018, kicking off a six-month initiative encouraging Americans to read, recommend and share their favorite novels. Locally, Arizona PBS hosted 3 community events related “The Great American Read,” including public screenings, panels in Sedona and a statewide children’s writing contest featuring Books & Co. host and Arizona poet laureate emeritus Alberto Ríos.
Concurrent with “The Great American Read,” Arizona PBS premiered season 21 of “Books & Co.,” hosted by Alberto Ríos. These 13 new episodes showcase intimate conversations with critically acclaimed and prize-winning authors including James Patterson, Kristin Hannah, David Sedaris and Cara Black. The on-air broadcast was supported with online companion resources including additional interview segments.
Arizona PBS also showcased music, dance, theatre and the visual arts with “ArtBeat Nation.” Four of these segments were honored with Telly Awards, including pieces spotlighting the youth music organization Phonetic Spit, local artist Robert Miley’s “Releasing the Fear” sculpture and a Roomba robot vacuum capable of creating original works of art.
ASU INTERACTION A total of nine Arizona PBS productions received Telly Awards in the fall of 2017. “Hooked Rx,” a half-hour documentary produced by Cronkite School students and faculty was honored in the Public Interest/Awareness and Documentary categories for its in-depth look at the opioid addiction crisis in Arizona. The 30-minute documentary aired simultaneously on 30 broadcast television stations in Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, and 97 radio stations throughout the state.
“Eating Psychology with Betty” won a Telly in the Information category. Another original production of Arizona PBS, the series explores the biology, genetics, social and learned behaviors of tasting and eating food. The show was hosted by former Arizona State University provost and executive vice president Elizabeth Capaldi Phillips.
In April 2018, Arizona PBS premiered “Catalyst: Shaping the Future,” another production featuring substantial involvement by advanced journalism students at the Cronkite School. “Catalyst” explores current cutting-edge research at ASU and its potential impact. Each episode of the 30-minute show features four to five segments that attempt to demystify research by telling the stories of the people in the labs and out in the field, spotlighting their pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries.
with Chef Mark Tarbell
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Arizona PBS also presented conversations from a lecture series presented by ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. The series, “Free Speech: Challenge of Our Times” examined many angles of this right, how it’s used and how it’s protected.
Arizona PBS also produced web-only ASU Professor Profiles celebrating four scholars for their work across fields ranging from developing international institutions to developments in family relationships that relate to children’s well-being.
Arizona PBS opened our largest studio for community forums and leadership breakfasts such as “Power of K,” which discussed the importance of kindergarten and early childhood education to the economic impact of society and an individual’s capacity to participate in higher education. Dr. Michael Crow provided the keynote address to the audience in person and live-stream including many of Arizona’s state, county and local elected and appointed officials. ASU’s Downtown Campus Open Door event also offered the public an opportunity to enjoy children’s activities, behind the scenes information and membership opportunities.
DRIVING LOCAL BUSINESS In the fall of 2010, Arizona PBS made a programming decision that was to contribute to the economic vitality of locally owned and operated restaurants in the Valley. It launched “Check, Please! Arizona,” a weekly half-hour show hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef Robert McGrath (through 2016) and “Iron Chef America”-winning chef Mark Tarbell (2017-present). Each episode features a trio of guests who dine at and then review three local restaurants they recommend to each other. Since the show’s debut, more than 270 Arizona restaurants have been featured, and nominations received from thousands of viewers. Season 8 of “Check, Please! Arizona” premiered in January 2018.
The program’s viral popularity also causes significant impacts to the bottom lines of featured restaurants: Local restaurant owners have credited “Check, Please! Arizona” with increasing their sales as much as 50 percent following their appearance on the show. Others said the boost in business allowed them to expand after being featured on the show.
COMMUNITY EVENTS A weekend of antique evaluations that drew thousands to Arizona PBS’ studios in April 2017 provided the material for the fourth season of “Arizona Collectibles,” which premiered the following September. Members of the community brought in collectibles, family heirlooms and other treasures to show our panel of experts. Items that were deemed particularly interesting were filmed, creating the material for the 13 episode series. The community members who attended were excited to learn more about their items.
Each year, Arizona PBS looks for opportunities centered around our programs to bring members of our community together in person. This year, Arizona PBS hosted screenings and panel discussions for two documentaries of particular local interest. The first was an “Independent Lens” documentary on Dolores Huerta called simply “Dolores.” Huerta, a labor activist, visited Phoenix to discuss the documentary at a screening hosted by Arizona Horizonte host and ASU professor, Jose’ Cardenas.
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Ken Burns’ series “The Vietnam War” provided Arizona PBS an opportunity to bring together community members who experienced the war from all sides. A screening hosted by the Chandler Public Library featured a panel discussion of veterans who served with the Army, Navy, Air Force and the South Vietnamese army. A second screening at the Cronkite School featured a panel who discussed journalism during the Vietnam War era. Arizona Council of the Social Studies included a special session on the documentary at its annual statewide conference, focusing on lessons and the geography of the country for the high school classroom.
Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the “PBS NewsHour,” was awarded Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism with the late Gwen Ifill, her longtime friend and co-anchor, in October 2017. ASU Provost Mark Searle presented the 34th award, given by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, which recognizes distinguished journalists who embody the values of the school’s namesake.
As part of Woodruff’s two-day visit to Phoenix, she reported for the NewsHour from the Cronkite School. She sat down with Cronkite faculty member Jacquee Petchel and students Claire Caulfield and Jasmine Spearing-Bowen to discuss a major national investigation into water quality as part of the Carnegie-Knight News21 program at the Cronkite School. She also interviewed U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego as part of an ongoing NewsHour series on the future of the Democratic Party. Woodruff’s visit also included an appearance on “Arizona Horizon,” taped before an audience of Cronkite School students. They were joined by “PBS NewsHour” Executive Producer Sara Just to take questions, discussing the convergence of media, fake news and the importance of journalism.
When PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger visited Phoenix in November 2017, she met with Arizona PBS staff and donors and spoke to an audience of journalism students about the impact of public broadcasting. She also appeared on “Arizona Horizon.” In discussing the power of public television, Kerger emphasized that most PBS stations are one of the last — often the last — locally owned and operated media outlets in their area.
“Frontline” executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath spoke at the Cronkite School and on “Arizona Horizon” in February 2018 about journalistic transparency, audience growth and the power of public media. In speaking with both journalism students and the Arizona PBS audience, Aronson-Rath highlighted the time and trust necessary for good journalism.
“American Creed” producer Kate Stilley Steiner joined national researchers and Mary Lou Fulton Teachers’ College faculty to conduct two community screenings and discuss the opportunity of providing equity in quality early childhood education in order to improve academic and economic success for all. ASU Preparatory Academy Phoenix Campus and ASU National Writing Project provided supported online writing contest opportunities for high school students.
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Arizona PBS also produced and broadcast several state-wide events: •“Arizona Spelling Bee 2018,” the state’s annual K-8 spelling competition •“Arizona Poetry Out Loud 2018,” the state finals of a poetry recitation competition for high school students •“Arizona Teacher of the Year 2018,” an annual recognition of the state’s best K-12 public school educators •“Curtains Up: Young Artists’ Competition,” an Arizona PBS special that offered a backstage look at Herberger Theater Center’s annual six-day Arizona Young Artists’ Competition – an event sometimes dubbed “Arizona’s Got Talent.” The special follows over 100 local performers as they compete for scholarship money and other prizes.
Arizona PBS also continued to produce “A Moment in Time,” a series of interstitials which illuminated contributions to the state by African-Americans, women, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian-Americans. Arizona landmarks Rossen House, Heard Museum, Hotel San Carlos and the Arizona State Capitol as well as notorious historical locations Empire Ranch and familiar spots Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Zoo and Margaret T. Hance Park were featured.
AUDIO PRODUCTION Central Sound at Arizona PBS, our audio-media production service, is among the many local services that Arizona PBS provides. The Central Sound team uses state-of-the-art technology to provide an array of services ranging from voice recording to products such as podcasts, CDs, live audio and video streaming, on-demand media and more. Central Sound also records and produces broadcast-quality classical and acoustic music performances, serving as a central hub for capturing notable musical events in the community, bringing concerts of internationally acclaimed artists, performances by leading ASU faculty and the next generation of young musicians to thousands of listeners.
Central Sound records over 120 performances each year and produces numerous high quality programs of live music performed in Arizona and regionally. These productions are broadcast on the airwaves of KBAQ-FM, Classical Arizona PBS digital television channel 8.5 and also are available online and via the Classical Arizona PBS app. Productions are often broadcast in DTS Neural Surround on the radio, and in Dolby Digital Surround on television. Programs highlight the Arizona Musicfest, Arizona Opera, ASU School of Music, Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale, The Phoenix Symphony, Grammy-nominated True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Tucson Desert Song Festival and other notable arts organizations.
Highlights of 2017-18 include recording and producing Arizona Opera’s world premiere of “Riders of the Purple Sage,” an opera based on the Zane Grey bestseller, which was awarded a New York Festivals Radio Award for Best Music Special. In addition to airing in Arizona, “Riders of the Purple Sage” was broadcast nationwide in November 2017 on classical stations throughout the U.S. and in international markets in 2018. Central Sound at Arizona PBS also received accolades including a regional Emmy Award for Live Audio Production of Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux.
18 ARIZONA PBS REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
CONCLUSION
When we measure the value and impact of Arizona PBS on communities around Arizona, several points stand out. First, the station is highly regarded by the community members who provide a large share of our revenue. Only nine percent of our budget comes from federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, while 36 percent comes from individual donors – of every level – who support the programs they love.
With that support, Arizona PBS is able to foster lifelong learning and provide an independent news source free from commercial influence. We fulfill on our responsibility to use our resources to truly do the people’s business through the local news and public affairs programs we produce five days a week.
Arizona PBS’ Educational Outreach team has long had a robust presence around the state, bringing resources to educators and families of all backgrounds. This year, our work in this area was honored by the Rocky Mountain Region of the National Academy of Television Sciences, which presented us with the prestigious Governors’ Award. This team covers every corner of Arizona and touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year – a real contribution to the future of Arizona.
In short, the impact of Arizona PBS can be felt across the state – because Arizona PBS belongs to all Arizonans.
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